A VISIT TO ASPERN AND WAGRAM. 
595 
what they had captured. At the head of a strong column of attack he 
once more gained the vantage ground which the walls of the cemetery 
supplied, and, determining that they should no longer supply a rallying 
point to the defence, ordered his pioneers to level them and the par¬ 
sonage house to the ground. Thus the most interesting part of the 
battle-field no longer exists as it originally did, and the little church 
alone remains to mark the scene of one of the most obstinate contests 
the records of war supply. The Austrians were never again expelled 
from Aspern, but on the other hand never were able to free the entire 
village from the French who to the last clung obstinately to some of 
the houses and enclosures. 
It will have been noticed that the Austrian line, stretching as it did 
in a vast semicircle from the south of Aspern to the south of Enzers- 
dorf, could not but be weak in certain portions, while, from the nature 
of their position, the fire of their powerful artillery converged with 
terrible effect from all sides on the French. Both these circumstances 
prompted Napoleon to make an offensive effort, and the fresh troops at 
his disposal gave him an opportunity for striking one of those decisive 
blows which were the special attribute of his genius. Accordingly 
when it became clear that the Austrians could make no effectual pro¬ 
gress on his flanks, he prepared to pierce their line with that powerful 
effort against their centre which was a specially favourite manoeuvre 
with him. To Lannes, who had given such magnificent evidence of 
capacity on the previous day, the movement was confided. 
Issuing from between the villages at the head of a vast mass of men 
composed of the three divisions of Oudinot's corps, each division formed 
in mass of regimental close columns with some brigades of cavalry in 
rear, he advanced, in spite of the heavy loss his dense formation 
entailed, straight on Breitenlee where the Austrian reserves and the 
Archduke's head-quarters were placed. Napoleon directed that 
Davout's corps, which was soon expected to make its appearance, 
should support the forward movement by an advance on Essling, while 
Massena was enjoined to continue to hold his ground on the left. 
The old Guard was held in reserve, and the young Guard was to move 
towards Essling to attack Rosenberg's exposed flank. A tremendous 
cannonade from 200 pieces of artillery distracted the enemy's attention 
all along the front and prepared the way for the columns of attack. 
At 7 o'clock all the preparations were complete. 
Lannes's inroad was at first attended with complete success. The 
Austrian artillery line, which had played such havoc, was broken, 
and the corps of Hohenzollern, which tried to bar the French progress, 
was forced back, fighting obstinately nevertheless, on the reserves at 
Breitenlee. Some of the French squadrons are said actually to have 
reached that village. In the midst of what appeared the Austrian 
extremity the Archduke vindicated his claim, not only to generalship 
but devoted courage. Seizing the standard of the regiment of Zach, 
an action which is perpetuated in the spirited statute to his memory in 
Yienna, he headed his reserves and called them forward against the 
rush of their assailants. The Austrian infantry, thrown into squares, 
again demonstrated the hopeless task, even the best cavalry are set 
